Improvement in ironing-machines



. 2 Sheets-Sheet I. W. 8v J. COUTIE.

Ironing-AMachne'.

,89s. vP tente'd Feb. 78.

DLPETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHFR. WASMINGYON. D C.

2 She9ts-Sheet 2 W. 8v Jg GOUTIE. Ironing-Machine.

N0.199,s9s. Paten Feb. 5,1878.

Mm. 9 www NPETERS.' PHQTO-LITHOGRAPHEH. WASHINGTON D C wILLIAM ooUTIEAND JAMES ooU'TIE, or TROY, NEW Yonx.

IMPROVEMENT` IIN IRONING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 199, 89S, datedFebruary 5, 1878;

application tiled August 18, 1877.

.in Calenders 5 and we do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of our invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to n make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lettersV ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

Thel nature of this invention consists in the construction andarrangement of a machine that will properly calender or finish bothsides of collars and cuffs at one operation, and in the method of doingthe same, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth. v

In the annexed drawings, which fully illustrate our invention, Figure lis a front elevation of our machine. Fig. 2 is a side view, and Fig. 3 atransverse vertical section, of the same. Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 aredetailed views of parts thereof.

The ordinary calender for -webs or paper in rolls will not accomplishwhat we have aimed at on accoiuit of the seams, the low temperature ofthe finishing-roll, the difficulty of feeding so great a number ofseparate pieces, and

the want of any known means of preserving thesepieces at their naturallength.

A represents theframe-work of our machine, wherein are arranged two pairof rolls, each i pair consisting of one finishing-roll, B, and

one covered rol1,.C, the position of said rolls in the two pairs beingreversed. c

For the finishing-roll we use an ordinary hollow cast-iron roll, open atone end to admit air, and closed at the other by a chimney or I'exhaust-pipe. Through the chimney and jourvnal we pass al pipe, D,perforated as shown,

for carrying a mixture of gas and air, which burns inside and suppliesthe heat. As the proper mixture of air and gas is too cold to burnperfectly, and an ordinary burning will not give the temperaturerequired, we leave one end of the roll full open, and apply ajet of airlfrom a fan to the chimney, and form aA rapid draft through this openend, which converts thel roll into a sort of blow-pipe, and gives thetemperature required.

As the covered roll C'needs to be unusually When, however,

elastic on accountA of the heavy seams, and the high pressure andtemperature require frequent renewals, we use thevcheapest elasticcovering convenient, preferring two thicknesses of heavy woolen blanketcovered by six to twelve thicknesses of canton-flannel, this again `by atemporary finishing-cover of iine muslin, all being run on by theordinary working motion ofthe machine when ready for use.

Each of the covered rolls C performs in one machine separate functions:

First, they feed the material, and the speed of the work passing throughthe machine is the same as the speed of the surface of these rolls.

Second, they receive thick parts or inequalities of the goods, and pressthe whole surface of the goods against the finishing-rolls.

Third, they assist in heating the goods, as the work we wish to performis best done at the highest temperature that will not (scorch. To obtainthis we fix the covering on the roll, and make this roll of the smallestdiameter that will work well, so that the whole roll will be at thehighest temperature that will not scorch the covering, thereby assistingthe heating-roll in heating the goods, and -at the same time keeping-both sides at a more equal temperature. f

Fourthly, when short goods, such as collars and cuffs, are caleudered,they are first dampened, and the dampening shortens or shrinks thegoods.` When these goods are then passed through calender-rolls whichmove with the same surface velocity, the iinished goods will be the samelength as the dampened goods; and when the iinishing-'roll moves fasterthan the covered roll the 'shortening is increased, because the feed ofthe goods is always equal to the speed of the covered roll, and becausethe stretch or shortening is always on the damp part of the goods, andnot on the dry. the feed or covered roll moves faster than theiinishing-roll, it constantly and uniformly draws the damp part awayfrom the dry part, and brings thewhole piece to its true length whendry, so that short goods, and particularly crooked pieces, which cannothave a tension otherwise, are calendered to their true dry length.' Forex' ample, a sixteen-inch collar or No. 10 cuff has'y heretofore alwaysbeen out from one-halffto three-fourths of an inch longer' thanit isfintended to be, to compensate for the shrinkage, but by our process thegoods may be cut the exact length required, and the shrinkage caused bythe dampening of the goods is nullied, or the goods stretched againwhile passing through the machine.

By practical experiments we have found that when the motion of thecovered roll is from three to iive per cent. greater than thefinishing-roll this object is perfectly obtained.

In the arrangement of the rolls we place either the two finishing or thetwo covered rolls in nearly the same horizontal plane, at a distance ofabout the length of the goods between the centers, and place the othertwo rolls, one on the upper and the other on the lower side, butinclined so that the right line which joins their points of contactpasses through both pairs; or the rolls may be placed vertically, one ofeach pair directlyunder or over the other.

The goods are conveyed from. the highest or first pair to the secondpair by an inclined plane, E, set so that it will act as a scraper tothe lower one of the first pair, and the angle is such that the goodswill retain their proper position to the rolls, and slide from one pairinto the other. It also acts as a platform where goods can be arrangedto pass through one pair of rolls only.

The pressure by which the rolls are forced together varies from one totwo tons; and the temperature of the finishing-rolls is so high that astoppage of 011e or two se'conds will burn the covering on the otherrolls. We make the covered rolls movable upward and downward away fromthe hot rolls, and rest or connect their bearings by rods H H uponopposite ends of two beams, G, under the rolls. These beams are pivotedto the frame, and the rolls and beams balanced, so that when one roll ismoved away from the hot roll the other is moved away in the oppositedirection, and this without having to lift the weight of the rolls.

These beams are extended upon one end beyond the points upon which therolls rest, and connected by rods a to the levers J, upon which theweights rest, so that they continually pull one covered roll and pushthe other toward the hot rolls. The length of the connection between theupper rolls and beams G is fixed and permanent, while that between thelower roll and beams is adjustable in length by means of a screw at b,and can be varied at pleasure, by which arrangement the pressure may beequally divided between the two pairs of rolls; or the whole of it maybe applied to one pair, or divided in any other proportion the finish.of the goods may require, for while the weights remain the same, what weapply to one roll we take from the other.

To vary the total pressure, the weights are made of a number of pieces,and it is varied by the number of pieces applied.

To throw the rolls apart, we attach a shaft, d, on the` under side ofthe levers J, which carry the weights, and on this shaft, alongside thelevers, we place two cams, I I, arranged so that a half-revolution willraise the ends of the levers which carry the weights, and by theconnection with' the beams G easily andinstantly move the rolls outofcontact by means of the handle K at oneend of the machine.

Our calender, as thus constructed, is in proper condition for producinga dead or do mestic finish on the goods; but for goods requiring arubbed or polished nish on one side, we replace the polishing-roll witha rectilineal stationary piece, L, that fits the same place as thepolishing or hot roll, with all the heating connections the same. rllhepolishing part of this piece is the same length, and its rubbingface ispart of a polygon whose leastD diameter is the same as that of thecovered roll. We generally use three sides for the goods to rub on inpassing through. The advantage of this over a roll, besides polishingllthe goods, is that we can reduce both the tern-y perature and pressure,for the goods receive three rubs or more, while the roll only gives one,and the goods are longer exposed to the heat on account of the concaveform and the number of faces; and as the working of the machine is dueto heat, time, and pressure, and as these are convertible into eachother in the work done, the longer the goods are in the heat the lowerthe temperature andthe less pressure required, and the more the rubs theless the pressure required, so that with this concave polygon we can dosome work better, and do more of it in the same time, and do it withless heat and pressure.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of ironing articles of a plurality of thicknesses, such ascollars, cuffs,

&c., by stretching the damp short side simultaneously with the dryingand natural expansion of the otherV side, substantially as set setforth.

2. In a calender-machine having two calender-rolls set in reversedposition, as described, the combination, with said rolls, of the movablebearings in which the rolls are mounted, the rods H H, pivoted beams G-G, rods t a, weighted levers J J, screw b, and shaft d, with cams I I,all constructed substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. In a calender-machine, the concaved polygonal-faced polisher L, incombination with a rotating calender-roll, substantially as and for thepurposes herein set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto afXedour signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM GOUTIE. JAMES GOUTIE. Witnesses:

WM. GoUrIE, Jr., EDWIN MORRISON.

